A man accused of raping a fellow resident at a disability group home also sexually assaulted two other people on multiple occasions, the Victorian Ombudsman has found.

Disability services provider Autism Plus and the Department of Health and Human Services put clients at risk by failing to move the man despite repeated warnings, a report published by the ombudsman concluded.

Concerns were raised about "Edward", who cannot be identified, in October 2014, but he was not moved until he allegedly raped another resident six months later, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said.

AN AUTISTIC teen victim of a savage assault at a Sydney shopping mall has a simple, but shocking, answer when asked why he was targeted by the thugs.

SHOCKING video has emerged of a young autistic boy being savagely bashed by a gang of youths at a busy Sydney mall.

The 15-year-old boy is seen on the video standing with his head down as he types a message on his mobile phone. One of the youths shoulders him and causes him to stumble, while others in the gang stand around and watch. And film the encounter.

A BRISBANE mother is fighting for her autistic son’s right to an education in a landmark discrimination case.

This week single mum Sherri Gullickson, from Norman Park, lost her battle to have son Jonathan, 7, return to class at the elite Brisbane Boys College’, which boasts it has several students in a state-of-the-art autism spectrum disorder program.

Jonathan began in Year 2 at the school in January but was expelled on August 29 for “biting and hitting” classmates in separate incidents on August 9 and August 14.

The first set of national standards governing the diagnosis of autism was released yesterday for public consultation, part of a years-long plan to eradicate big variances in methods and rates of the condition.

Lead researcher Andrew Whitehouse said he hoped the guidelines would be adopted nat­ionwide to standardise diagnostic methods and that one day they would become mandated.

Up to three times more people with autism have special talents or "savant" abilities than previously thought.

Researchers from Autism Spectrum Australia have found that identifying and nurturing that special talent at an early age is crucial in ultimately helping people with autism find a meaningful job later in life.

Changing employers' perceptions of autism from focussing on the deficits to the advantages of being on the spectrum is also key.

One of Canberra's last remaining providers of respite care is closing its doors to people with high needs, as advocates warn funding shortfalls under the NDIS are becoming a "looming crisis" for the ACT.

A Sydney woman says her profoundly disabled brother could be left without a permanent home in three weeks because of serious flaws in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in New South Wales.

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) sent a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for its Inquiry into Provision of services under the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention Approach.

Kelly Fellowes from Penrith pictured with daughter Maddison, 6,
who has autism. Picture: David Swift

NSW schools are failing to report horrific cases of abuse against disabled and special needs students, as a parliamentary inquiry yesterday heard the state had “failed these kids”.

One advocacy group has called for a royal commission following the revelation of several shocking alleged incidents­ in which children were tied to chairs by their ankles, locked in cupboards or beaten with sticks by their teachers.

A new Ombudsman's report finds that the use of isolation, physical restraints
and suspension or expulsion for students with behavioural problems is
prevalent in NSW schools. Photo: Tamara Voninski TVZ

Pallavi Singhal ​

A primary school student with autism was restrained by teachers and locked in a time-out room for more than an hour, during which time the student wrapped an electrical cord around their neck, a NSW Ombudsman's report reveals.

A teacher standing outside the room ignored the student during the isolation, despite instructions that the student was not to be restrained and was to be checked on after three minutes if placed in time-out.

Tucked away on Brisbane's southside, a group of small sheds is giving men with children on the autism spectrum a place to meet, socialise and support each other.

South Brisbane Men's Shed is the first in Australia to have a special interest group for dads, brothers, uncles and grandfathers of children with autism.

In partnership with the Department of Education and Training Autism Hub, the shed allows men to get together once a week to gain information, but also to relax around people experiencing similar circumstances at home.